Monday, June 30, 2014

I came across this guy a couple of hours ago in the Boston Gardens, hanging out in a shrubbery. Sent a photo to my buddy Jim, who says it looks like a young red-tailed hawk.

On the subway ride home, someone with a sing-songy voice was talking about sandwiches, and I figured, since the blog is all randomness lately, that's reason enough to share my favorite Flight of the Conchords song again…

Sunday, June 29, 2014

I've been a very poor blogger lately. I have a list as long as my arm of things I've been wanting to blog about, but the spirit has not been moving me. In particular, I've been going through a period of grievously fractured focus with my writing, and have been wanting to blog something about that. I actually sat down yesterday, expecting to write a blog post about it – even contacted a few friends to ask permission to share some of the wise things they've been saying – but then, to my delight, my focus came back, and instead, I worked. I'm hoping the same thing is about to happen as I sit down this very moment. So, instead of one of those blog posts I've been meaning to write, I offer a few random pictures and one wise quote from a friend, presented with no context whatsoever :o). Maybe they will mean something to you.

On my writing desk.

Cambridge, MA window box.

City Hall in Cambridge flies the American flag, the POW/MIA flag, and the rainbow flag.
I ♥ my city.

3. Tiny Pantone Matching System Match. "A personal project of tiny proportion—matching small everyday objects to their Pantone® colors, by designer Inka Mathew." Oddly soothing! I couldn't stop scrolling down until I got to the end. Thanks, Jess :)

4. Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann. This outstanding new book of poetry turned me into a puddle from the first poem. A silent, wondering puddle. Not out until September but it can be pre-ordered. From the starred Kirkus review: "Lacing traditional fairy tales through real-life perils, Heppermann produces short poems with raw pain, scathing commentary and fierce liberation. There’s no linear arc; instead, girls buck and fight and hurt.... Full of razors that cut—and razors to cut off shackles: a must."

13. Around here is where my links start to get exceedingly random, and maybe I should've closed a few browsers before taking my screencaps… But, local people, do you know about the new H Mart in Central Square? Thanks, Becca :)

14. How to Care for a Pregnant Mare. This is book research. You know, you would really not believe how late in a pregnancy mares remain active – and how dangerous a delivery can become, very quickly, for both the mare and the foal, if the foal isn't presenting correctly.

15. The Wikipedia page for Green Lantern... because you know what, I don't really understand the point of Green Lantern. I will say, to his credit, that at least he doesn't have a big letter A on his forehead that stands for America.

In sooth, I know not why I am so sad:
It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff ’tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

What is a moonraker? Also called a moonsail, a moonraker is the small sail, sometimes set in light winds, above the skysail.

What is the skysail? Used in a favorable light wind, it's the light sail above the royal.

What is the royal? Also used in a favorable light wind, it's the small sail above the topgallant sail.

What is the topgallant sail? It's the sail above the topsail. Sometimes divided into upper topgallant sail and lower topgallant sail (depending on the era of the ship).

What is the topsail? It's the sail above the course. Sometimes divided into upper topsail and lower topsail (depending on the era of the ship).

What is the course? The sails that hang from the lower yards of a square-rigged ship, now usually restricted to the foresail (the principal sail set on the foremast and the lowest on that mast) and mainsail (the lowest and largest sail on the mainmast, pronounced mains'l).

So, what is a moonraker? It's that tiny sail six or even eight sails up. Generally only used on tall ships built for speed. I enjoyed flipping through A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion to the Complete Seafaring Tales of Patrick O'Brian (by Dean King with John B. Hattendorf and J. Worth Estes) to figure it out.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

So, my sister, codename: Apocalyptica the Flimflammer, has given me permission to share some more of her face painting. Please note that she owns these pictures; feel free to link to them but please do not gank them.

Barn.

Blue jay.

I asked Apocalyptica why she likes to face paint. She said a lot of interesting things in response, and I thought the following bit might resonate with the writers in my audience:

"...And I do it because it's such a challenge to take an image in my head and put it on a body, because there's all this stuff in the way...eyebrows and noses and a mouth, and the surface curves and won't cooperate...usually I start out with a certain inspiration and then I actually start to work with the body and it completely commandeers my process. Like that caribou I painted was supposed to be a scrabble board, but my leg objected. And the fruit bat was originally going to be a floral pattern based on a piece of fabric I bought. So I like being limited by the odd surfaces a body provides, because it produces surprises and there's a built-in respect for the body as the boss of the mind instead of the other way around. But it's also extremely frustrating. I am sometimes quite happy with my final product, but the first half of the process is normally awful and I feel like I will never make it work and I should just give up and take a shower."

Quick Links

"Then, at last, sitting on her stretcher-bed, she took from the very bottom of her pack an old peacock-blue scarf folded around a heavy, square book. She unwrapped it and opened it very carefully, as if guilty secrets might fall from between its pages like pressed flowers. This was Harry's secret. She was a writer."

-from The Tricksters, by Margaret Mahy

Writing is my secret. Every day I unwrap and open it as carefully as I can. Welcome to my blog about writing and life! Above you'll find quick links about me and my books, and below is more about me, ways to subscribe, and an archive of past posts. Click here to go home to my most recent posts.

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About the Author

Kristin Cashore wrote the New York Times bestsellers Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue, all of which have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Her next book, Jane, Unlimited, comes out in September 2017. Graceling is the winner of the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and Fire is the winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. The books are world travelers, currently scheduled to be published in thirty-four languages.

Finally, a note: This blog is my only online presence. I am not on Facebook, Google+, or any other social media sites, and I use Twitter solely as an amalgamation feed for my blog. Sorry, but I do not read @-replies on Twitter!